A Different Cure
by sanctum-c
Summary: After ten long years, Sania might have a solution to the world's problem.


Any time Sania asked someone to swing by her lab there was always the possibility they would not make it. Always a relief to feel the rumble of a truck as it approached and to know they arrived. Right now Iris was beeping the horn outside; time for one last glance around her hastily assembled lab and ensure she had all the pages, the notes, the books- Changing the focus of scientific study this late in life was not easy. Biology had been a cinch compared to relearning chemistry as hurriedly as she did. Ten years to go from basic high-school stuff to having a theory about-

Sania shook herself, checked the room one more time. Nothing obviously forgotten. Another re-check of her bag and she darted out the door. The headlights from the truck glowed in the deep dark that covered the world; a mobile island of comfort a little way from the intense floodlights keeping her lab safe. The demons ought to be far from here - years since any tried to breach the fences or even venture close to the lights. Hard not to make sure nothing had come through or clambered over the fence all the same. Force of habit. Those first few days still impressed the need to be mindful and absolutely sure of the situation. Nothing inside the compound; nothing visible outside the compound. To the truck then. Iris greeted her with a smile as Sania pulled the door open; she dumped her heavy bag down and closed the door before acknowledging the driver.

"Okay," Iris said after she turned the truck around and set them on the road to Hammerhead. "Now do you want to explain what this is all about? And why did you want me to call Aranea in? She's got her hands full and-"

"She always has her hands full." Sania sighed. It would not do to get people's hopes up, but she needed help and Iris had as much right to know as anyone right now. "I have an idea that might help us- help everyone out."

"Oh?" Iris glanced across at her and arched an eyebrow.

The glow of a Red Giant knife flared in the distance. Too close for comfort; Sania shrank away from the door. "I think I have a way to disrupt the photophillic particles in the atmosph-"

The truck's tires screeched as the vehicle swerved off the road. Sania braced herself as Iris tugged the steering wheel back into position even as she stared at her companion. "You can get rid of it?!"

"I might be able to." Sania pointedly did not look at the excited driver. "Based on small scale experiments in the lab, I've found a chemical agent that can bond to the particles, so-"

"That sounds like a cure!" Iris shouted.

"There's no need to shout!" Sania snapped. "And I know what it sounds like." She huffed and lowered her voice. "It still won't be quick or easy, okay? There are a lot of other factors to take into account. We can't just go spraying stuff into the air, and I have no idea what effect it would have on water supplies or what's left of the fauna-" She took a deep breath. "The biggest issue is delivering my research to a high enough altitude. If the compound operates as expected... We still have a longevity problem to consider."

"At this point I say we risk it." Iris was smiling; possibly the most excited she had been in years now. "If there's a chance we can be rid of this..." She shook her head. "We'll need to call everyone. Gladdy should be able to get in touch with the other two." A sigh. "Be nice for Noct if the world is fixed when he gets back."

Sania nodded. "Yeah."

How long since Sania was last in Hammerhead? Difficult to remember. Cidney came by her lab anytime she needed mechanical assistance, but it had been a few months since their last meeting. Something seemed off as they parked inside the fence; Cidney looked less than impressed and close to murderous. What had Talcott done to upset her? He was avoiding her gaze as she ranted at him. "How, how-"

"I couldn't stop them," Talcott shot back, glancing around at Sania and Iris's approach. He seemed to be imploring them to side with him. But with regards to what?

"Hey, Cidney, what's wrong?" Iris glanced between the two of them. "Hi Tal."

"Hi," he muttered, trying to avoid Cidney's gaze.

"Noctis is back." Cidney's tone was flat, her gaze never straying from Talcott's face. Iris hardly seemed to notice her body language; her eyes widened and her mouth fell open. Cidney jabbed a finger at Talcott before Iris could say a word. "And this guy; he just let him walk out of here with your brother and the other two." She sighed.

"Where- How?" Iris shook her head looking from Cidney to Talcott. "Where did they go?" She looked around, Sania mimicking her survey of Hammerhead.

"Insomnia," Talcott said in a miserable tone.

"What?" Iris gasped whirling back to stare at him.

"Yeah," Cidney added and folded her arms, her attention still focused on Talcott. "No one sees Noctis for almost a decade or so, then he's suddenly back - and takes our best hunters with him only to head right into the worst nest of demons I know of."

"Can't we stop him?" Iris seemed on the verge of dashing to the gate and towards the derelict city. "If they did go to Insomnia-"

"We can try and stop them if we could find them." Cidney glanced behind her. "They left their phones here. I'm not adverse to a search party but you know what's out there..." She threw her hands up.

"Aranea could find them," Iris insisted. "We can't just let them- Not now he's back..."

"Maybe Aranea could find 'em. But she ain't here, is she?" Cidney kicked at some offending debris nearby.

"She should be on the way," Iris shot back.

"Well good." She sighed. "I suppose they might be okay. They know what they're doing. Well, Gladdy, Iggy and Promp do..." Cidney blinked. "Wait. Why is Aranea coming? She's not due here for another week-"

Sania fidgeted and interrupted. "I need her here, but we could spare her for a bit to look for the prince-"

"Oh my god, of course. Cid we need to help Sania," Iris blurted

"Okay, I'm lost. What's going on?" Cidney glanced at Sania. "Didn't expect to hear from you and Iris-"

Iris was bouncing up and down on her heels. "Sania's got a cure for the starscourge-"

"Might have-" Sania said quickly holding up her hands even as Cidney's eyes lit up. "Only might have, but if it could work we can get it working large scale. As it is; I don't think we have much else to lose."

Iris smiled. "Nothing to lose."

"Count me in," Cidney breathed. She grinned. "Any way I can help?"

"Well," Sania said pushing her glasses up her nose. "How well do you know airship engines?"

"Well enough; guess that's what you need Aranea here for?"

Sania nodded. "I need to check on the maximum altitude of Niflheim airships..."

*

Producing more of the bonding agent was not going to be easy. A trip to Lestullum was in order and likely excursions even further afield soon after. No one had much faith in there being a lot of glassware still lying around somewhere. Talcott suggested empty beer bottles; trying to be helpful after his blunder. A poor idea, but Sania thanked him all the same. Maybe as a last resort; if they could steam clean them and ran out of any other containers. Cidney and Iris picked out a few possible locations on the map to at least try locating glassware as they waited for Aranea's arrival. Then nothing but answering more questions; Sania cut herself off at points in her answers regarding the cure as Talcott, Cidney and Iris's expressions glazed over. She explained as simply as possible about the density of the particles in the atmosphere; one of the more vital pieces of information - the thing they knew the least about. Higher altitude samples were urgently needed and would likely be dangerous for the crews involved. Sania offered to go herself, a move swiftly vetoed by both Cidney and Iris - she was the one with the plan and the means to concoct her solution. She had to survive longer no matter what.

Aranea arrived at around four in the morning. The former dragoon looked haggard and world-weary, but after a strong cup of coffee was nearly as giddy as the rest of them at the possible solution to all their issues. And as unhappy that Noctis and his friends had been and gone without a word. "I'll go look for them now. And before anyone says anything, when the cure's ready, I'll pilot the ship up there myself if I have to," she insisted. "After the modifications of course." Cidney nodded. High atmosphere flight was not something either Lucis or Niflheim gave much thought to previously. A shame. They could have done with that capability right now.

The sooner they could begin on this venture, the sooner they might return to their old lives. The idea hardly seemed real. So close now. First things first; try to locate Noctis. And then in a matter of moments the need passed. Aranea was prepping her airship for flight when Iris drew everyone's attention to the horizon. "Is it me or is it lighter over there?"

"You're seeing thin-" Aranea stomped out of the airship and stopped as she caught sight of the same thing as the others. Ten years on and no one reported seeing light patches ever. Until now. A feeble section of a glowing disc was visible on the edge of the horizon. Mesmeric; was that really the sun? Could they really be seeing it after all these years? Too much to hope for so soon; Sania forced herself to keep breathing as the disc brightened, the light more intense than any artificial source. No way to keep looking at the light; but there was so much more to see now even as her eyes hurt. Demons fled in the middle distance, skirting the bright lights of Hammerhead and chasing the night as the sun washed it away. The dark skies faded to an ever brightening blue. Clouds in the sky; how long since they had seen clouds?

Too late; Sania had found a cure too late and the world healed in spite of her. But what had happened? The particles evaporated into nothing this very moment? Why now? What had changed- Noctis; the prince. Had his return somehow precipitated this? Baffling. A poor hypothesis too. "Think you might be able to find Noctis easier now," Sania said as she adjusted her glasses and squinted at the lenses. They were thick with dirt; she wiped them hastily on her blouse.

"Things tend to be easier to find in the light," Aranea agreed.

"Don't want to move just yet though," Cidney murmured with her eyes closed. She seemed to speak for all of them. There was so much to do now the sun was back, but for now they could do nothing but enjoy the warmth and brightness of the sun; no matter how it came to be.


End file.
